This documentary film, produced on behalf of the United Nations, outlines the environmental crisis that faced humankind in 1972 and looms even larger today. In the broadest terms, the film is still effective, but the passage of time has revealed many flaws, both in presentation and logic. For example, Raymond Burr's narration links out of control population growth with the crime and strife then plaguing New York City. There's also a disturbing juxtaposition of images in the early going, as grim shots of bloated corpses--presumably the result of famine or other natural disaster--are edited together with footage of disabled but otherwise healthy children, some of whom are presumably thalidomide victims. On the other hand, there's a spot on discussion regarding the rise of the 'super slum', an urban trend that has accelerated considerably since the film was made, and the seeds of concern about global warming are also evident.
Survival of Spaceship Earth is crudely made and is burdened by the avuncular presence of on screen host Hugh Downs, who smirks knowingly and nods his head as scientists and anthropologists explain things to him. But through it all, there are some powerful montages, and the basic underlying message--that the planet does not contain limitless resources, and cannot sustain limitless population growth--remains a sobering, and still inconvenient, truth.
Survival of Spaceship Earth is crudely made and is burdened by the avuncular presence of on screen host Hugh Downs, who smirks knowingly and nods his head as scientists and anthropologists explain things to him. But through it all, there are some powerful montages, and the basic underlying message--that the planet does not contain limitless resources, and cannot sustain limitless population growth--remains a sobering, and still inconvenient, truth.
